Sidney Archer has the world. A husband she loves. A job at which she excels, and a cherished young daughter. Then, as a plane plummets into the Virginia countryside, everything changes. And suddenly there is no one whom Sidney Archer can trust.

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Publisher's Summary

This classic Baldacci thriller from 1997 is finally back - in unabridged audio and available in CD and download editions!

Total Heat

Sidney Archer has the world. A husband she loves. A job at which she excels and a cherished young daughter. Then, as a plane plummets into the Virginia countryside, everything changes. And suddenly there is no one whom Sidney Archer can trust.

Total Danger

Jason Archer is a rising young executive at Triton Global, the world's leading technology conglomerate. Determined to give his family the best of everything, Archer has secretly entered into a deadly game. He is about to disappear - leaving behind a wife who must sort out his lies from his truths, an accident team that wants to know why the plane he was ticketed on crashed, and a veteran FBI agent who wants to know it all....

Would you try another book from David Baldacci and/or Jonathan Marosz?

I love David Baldacci... But Jonathan Marosz has to be one of the worst narrators I have listened to... And that is after 10 years of listening... His voice is repetitive in its rhythm and he is reading it worse than my 8th graders... There is no performance... I will buy the paperback, because I just can't bring myself to listen to much more... Really really disappointing!

One of the best things about this novel is how quickly Baldacci gets you to bond with the Archer family. It only takes a couple of chapters before you are really feeling the impending weight of the unfolding mystery. The book starts off with a plane crash and then a one month rewind -- not a spoiler because it happens so quickly. I really liked the way he setup the story. You are left with nothing at the beginning and the twists and turns are slowly revealed with excellent descriptive detail.

The narration is good, I am not crazy about the way Jonathan Maroz performed it; but he did not detract from the suspense.

This book will appeal to someone who is very much a mystery thriller reader. If you are new to Baldacci it will motivate you to read some of his others. It is a must if you have been a long term fan. I consider it a solid wall-ball double, to make a baseball analogy. I would have liked a little more character development and bit more editing. But overall, it is a solid read.

This book is vintage Baldacci, literally. When I downloaded it, I thought I was getting the latest new Baldacci novel. By the time I was halfway through it, I had to check the copyright date, which turned out to be 2002 (Audible release date 4/2/13). I would not be surprised to hear that Mr Baldacci wrote this in the mid '90s.

No kidding. The tech in this novel is severely dated. We've had several generations of computer and communications technology since 2002. Most of the youngsters using computers these days probably have no idea what a floppy disk is or why anybody would use a telephone modem to connect to the internet. And why would anybody have a cell phone that can't do a google search or take a picture or tell you exactly where you are. What? No texting? Oh, yeah, right...that's how things were in the deep dark distant past, back when FBI agents were luddites who used Smith-Coronas.

Well, in spite of the historical nature of this novel, it is a pretty good thriller, one that I recommend. Also on the plus side, the reader did a fine job. I just wish that Audible had made it clear when I "pre-ordered" this audiobook that I was getting an 11 year old novel. I might have saved my credit for Baldacci's latest. I'll be checking much more closely in future.

This reader felt that the characters were poorly drawn, vocabulary lost through repetition, same for descriptions of emotional reactions. Primary characters lacked real personality (or personality which fit their description). For example, husband and wife were far more unaware than any people with their backgrounds and/or educations could/should be. Too much gratuitous violence throughout. Emotional reactions did not match experiences being undergone - too many exhausting bouts of tears from heroine who was supposedly a person of strong character and profession. Ending was long and almost tedious.

Left me feeling that the only worthwhile person was an FBI agent who was a vital character who could have been a charmer but didn't quite make it as relevant because of his age. as opposed to that of the primary character.

I love Baldacci and most of his books. The narrator did his best with what he had to work with but I left the book wishing I hadn't invested either money or time.

Audible presented this story to me as a new release. I wanted a new book, so I said WTH.

Story plods on and on. The amazing world of high-tech email is supposed to weave an exciting thread of amazement throughout the story for the reader, which might have been the case when AOL was new and people had car phones.

Now it's just like--what?

I don't mind listening to old stories. But I'd like to know when I buy one.

I love David Baldacci, especially the King and Maxwell books. Total Control popped up as a recommendation, and I jumped at the chance to listen.

Unfortunately, Total Control defines "sophomore slump" Its story is so implausible as to be laughable, the plot holes are large enough to fly a plane through, and its characters are cardboard cutouts.

If you are a Baldacci fan, you are fated to listen to this because you will want a fix; if not, please please please stay away. The book isn't worth it, and it will unnecessarily put you off Baldacci. At his best, his books are a joy to listen to.

Would you try another book from David Baldacci and/or Jonathan Marosz?

WTF? I feel like I am being punked by Audible. I have never noticed a narrator, and this is the second book in a row that has a bad/horrible narrator. I can't listen to this. ARGH! Got to call and get a refund. But so disappointed in Audible, they are destroying my favorite authors.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Can't get passed the narration

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Marosz?

Anyone

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and disappointment

Any additional comments?

Why oh why? Don't you have anyone listen to these books before putting them out?

With so many really good books available, even ones by Baldacci, I can't think of anyone to whom I'd recommend this book.

Has Total Control turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. It is because I'm a junkie of this genre I selected it in the first place. I have enjoyed other offerings by this author, and I truly expected much better than I got.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Marosz?

I'm not sure even Scott Brick could have saved this poorly written, poorly edited piece of... well, stuff will have to suffice.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Total Control?

I am an editor and there is so much from beginning to end, it would be hard for me to single out one or two scenes. Had I had this manuscript, there would have been cuts, slashes, and reworks throughout.

Any additional comments?

I was disappointed, too, that Audible didn't warn me that this was an older novel, or at the very least that it was set in a different decade/century. It was bad enough having a poor interpretation by the narrator of a poorly written/edited novel, but the inclusion of outdated technology was distracting until I got the timeline straight in my mind.

I love Baldacci but this one is a bust. Badly narrated, badly edited and just plain boring. I've decided to stop listening to it after a little more than half the book. It's just a waste of time. It sounds like this is a book written a while ago that got dusted off and sent to press. The technology is old (floppy disks, surveillance videotapes, the concept of "snail mail" having to be defined). And the supposedly smart lawyer is completely clueless when it comes to computers. Couldn't Baldacci have revised and modernized his book before submitting it? Does he need money that badly? Too bad...

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